HEALTH CARE

10.17.09

Obama Calls Out Insurance Industry

Pat Sullivan / AP Photo

Insurance companies are paying the price for their decision to turn against health-care reform as fallout continues over an industry study warning of higher premiums under Democratic legislation. Now President Obama is returning fire personally, using his Saturday radio address to blast their "deceptive and dishonest ads" and accusing companies of only caring about their "profits and bonuses" in opposing a bill. “It’s smoke and mirrors,” Obama said. “It’s bogus. And it’s all too familiar. Every time we get close to passing reform, the insurance companies produce these phony studies as a prescription and say, ‘Take one of these, and call us in a decade.’ Well, not this time.” Obama said that Congress could look into ending the insurance companies' longstanding antitrust exemption. With every relevant committee in Congress now behind a health-care bill, negotiations are at a crucial point and the White House is trying to complete a bill by the end of the year.